Using Multiple Sources to Tell the Stories of History

Disciplinary Literacy & Document-Based Questions in Social Studies

When planning any social studies lesson, you have to take several questions into consideration...

1. Is the lesson relatable to students? Do they want to learn about it?

2. Is the lesson engaging? Will students be challenged to make discoveries and think for themselves throughout the lesson?

3. Does the lesson incorporate primary sources? Will students be exploring and analyzing documents from the era they are studying?

4. Does the lesson connect and support other content areas? Are there opportunities for students to apply disciplinary literacy skills?

DBQs are the "answer" to all of the above questions! 

Video: Using Document-Based Questions for Historical Writing

Disciplinary Literacy Strategies in Content Area Classes (starting pg. 8)